Cross Breeds

Also known as Designer Dogs (by some very clever marketing people), Mutts, and Mongrels. 

I have nothing against the dogs themselves - all dogs are God's creatures, and are to be loved and/or take their place in society, regardless of their origin.  However, there has been a trend in recent years to mass-produce cross-bred dogs and to market them on the basis of "hybrid vigour" and "the surprise of not knowing which parent they will grow up like".

Note above, the terms "mass produce", "market" and "hybrid vigour", for these are the main areas of concern.

Responsible dog breeders study pedigrees, breeding lines, health information, conformation (how the dog is made, according to a Breed Standard) and temperaments.  They abide by a Code of Ethics. They health test their breeding stock, preferably show their dogs so that they have some perspective on how closely their dog meets the Breed Standard, and take a great deal of care in producing a healthy environment and lifestyle for their dogs.  They spend a lot of time with potential owners, to ensure they will be able to manage their new dog properly, and are available for assistance when required.  To the responsible dog breeder, the puppy they have bred has been raised as a family member, and is well socialised, so of course they want the best for it.  A responsible breeder does not breed just to make money - in fact, very few profit at all.

Conversely, most big puppy producers have no generational health information about the dogs they are breeding from, do not show their dogs and do not know if they are good enough to meet the Breed Standard.  Their main concern is that their breeding animals are able to produce puppies, and in some cases, EVERY season.  The pups may or may not be raised in a healthy, loving environment - that is for you to judge, if you are allowed to inspect the premises.  They will give you your puppy (probably in a nice "touchy feely" environment, or perhaps via a pet shop), it's 7 day health guarantee and wave you off, hopefully never to see you again, and having separated you from hundreds of dollars.  Strangely, this amount may even be more than you would have paid for a well bred pure-bred, if you had bought your puppy from a registered, reputable breeder.

Recently a "new Designer Breed" (Cavalier cross-bred dog) was advertised on a television program in Australia.  The Fact Sheet which accompanied the segment (available via the Internet) claimed a life-span for this "breed" of  14+ years, yet the breeders who 'sponsored' the segment have only been breeding this "breed" for 5 years, and claim it to be their own invention. How can they know what lifespan this new combination from pure-breed parents will produce?  If they do not health test their breeding stock (ie test by specialist for heart problems, hip dysplasia, eye problems etc), then they could well be breeding from dogs with early onset MVD, which can produce puppies which may die before their 5th birthday; hip dysplasia; luxating patellae (slipping kneecaps); major eye problems... the list goes on.

The notion that "hybrid vigour" will be achieved simply by putting two different pure-bred dog breeds together is a myth.  The parents must have comprehensive health tested backgrounds, and have good results in all tests, in order for this "hybrid vigour" to be effective.  The sort of testing a responsible registered breeder of pure-bred dogs undertakes.  So, do you think that cute little fluffy puppy in the pet shop window comes from comprehensively health tested parents?